DALE CHIHULY Roman Red Seaform Pair, 2006 glass approx. 10 x 11 x 11 inches Retail Value: $4,600

Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, Dale Chihuly was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. After graduating in 1965, he enrolled in the first glass program in the country at the University of Wisconsin. He continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he later established the glass program and taught for more than a decade.

In 1968, Chihuly was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to work at the Venini factory in Venice, Italy. While there, he observed the team approach to blowing glass, which is integral to the way he works today. In 1971, Chihuly co-founded the Pilchuck Glass School outside of Seattle, Washington. Under Chihuly’s leadership, Pilchuck has attracted international participants and is recognized as a center for the development of glass as a fine art.

Chihuly has created many well-known series of smaller-scale works, including the Baskets, Persians, and Seaforms, but he is also celebrated for large architectural installations. In 1995, he began work on the international project, “Chihuly Over Venice,” which involved work at glass factories in Finland, Ireland and Mexico in order to create a series of chandelier-like sculptures installed over the canals and piazze of Venice. Other installations and exhibitions have been mounted in Jerusalem and London and several sites in the U.S.